John, Chapter 15,
Verse 17-19
17 This I command
you: love one another. 18 “If the world
hates you, realize that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged
to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not
belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates
you.
Rejoice
if you love and no one loves you in return; for He has chosen you! Yet, there
is also the danger that you may have so much love for yourself: that there is
no room to love anyone, but yourself, and people are avoiding you out of
respect for the love affair you have with yourself. Remember the story of the
Grinch are you more like the Grinch or Cindy Lou Who.
The
model of love for all true discipleship is extreme, limitless life for your
friends as Jesus modeled, the price of discipleship will be high. Just as
Christ was hated so it will be for those of us who follow Him. You will be
hated, persecuted, unaccepted. Yet, know that the deep-down crime is that the
secular world, the culture of death, has seen the evidence and refused to
believe. Jesus has spoken to them, he has performed works never done before and
they really know nothing about the Father who sent Jesus and in hating Him they
hate the Father also.[1]
Who
are hypocrites? Those
who, in order to deceive their neighbors, show themselves outwardly pious,
while within they are full of evil dispositions and malice; who have honey on
the tongue, but gall in the heart; who, like scorpions, sting when one least
expects it. Such men are cursed by God (Mai. i. 14). The Lord hateth a mouth with a double tongue
(Prov. viii. 13). “Assumed sanctity, says St. Jerome, “is a double
maliciousness.”[2]
Sounds
like career Politician’s to me. Yet, this too shall pass love endureth all
things.
Love bears every trial with a
positive attitude. It stands firm in hostile surroundings. This “endurance”
involves not only the ability to tolerate certain aggravations, but something
greater: a constant readiness to confront any challenge. It is a love that
never gives up, even in the darkest hour. It shows a certain dogged heroism, a
power to resist every negative current, an irrepressible commitment to
goodness. Here I think of the words of Martin Luther King, “The person who
hates you most has some good in him; even the nation that hates you most has
some good in it; even the race that hates you most has some good in it. And
when you come to the point that you look in the face of every man and see deep
down within him what religion calls ‘the image of God’, you begin to love him
in spite of [everything]. No matter what he does, you see God’s image there.
There is an element of goodness that he can never sluff off… Another way that
you love your enemy is this: when the opportunity presents itself for you to
defeat your enemy, that is the time which you must not do it… When you
rise to the level of love, of its great beauty and power, you seek only to
defeat evil systems. Individuals who happen to be caught up in that system, you
love, but you seek to defeat the system… Hate for hate only intensifies the
existence of hate and evil in the universe. If I hit you and you hit me and I
hit you back and you hit me back and so on, you see, that goes on ad infinitum.
It just never ends. Somewhere somebody must have a little sense, and
that’s the strong person. The strong person is the person who can cut off the
chain of hate, the chain of evil… Somebody must have religion enough and
morality enough to cut it off and inject within the very structure of the
universe that strong and powerful element of love”. In family life, we need to cultivate that
strength of love which can help us fight every evil threatening it. Love does
not yield to resentment, scorn for others or the desire to hurt or to gain some
advantage. The Christian ideal, especially in families, is a love that never
gives up. I am sometimes amazed to see men or women who have had to separate
from their spouse for their own protection, yet, because of their enduring
conjugal love, still try to help them, even by enlisting others, in their
moments of illness, suffering or trial. Here too we see a love that never gives
up.
Fitness Friday-Sleeping Workout
Recognizing
that God, the Father created man on Friday the 6th day I
propose in this blog to have an entry that shares on how to recreate and renew
yourself in strength; mind, soul and heart.
Having
trouble sleeping? Try some light catholic reading.
“The reading of all good books is
like conversation with the finest men of the past centuries.” This quote
is by the famous philosopher Descartes. Although I am not a fan of
everything Descartes has to say, I don’t think he’s too far off here.
Reading a good book by a good author is indeed like having a conversation
with them. By reading their book you’re looking into their mind,
experiencing their world, and learning their wisdom. In my opinion there are no
greater people to have “conversations” with through their writing than Catholic
saints. Catholic saints have written some of the most beautiful
literature which inspires, educates, encourages, and informs us how to live a
holy and happy life. Here is a list of ten classic Catholic books which any and every
Catholic should read at some point in their life.
*If
you’re not much of a reader, or if you don’t have much free time to pick up a
book, many of these classic Catholic books have audio book versions.
·
The Story of a Soul by St. Therese of
Lisieux
As
you can tell, this list of great Catholic books by wonderful Catholic saints is
in no particular order. These are just 10 of the many Catholic books
written by wonderful saints who have so much timeless wisdom to share.
Who wouldn’t want to have a conversation with any of these wonderful
saints? What books would you add to this list of classic Catholic books?
What does your favorite classic Catholic
books list look like?
"Read
these counsels slowly. Pause to meditate on these thoughts. They are things
that I whisper in your ear-confiding them-as a friend, as a brother, as a
father. And they are being heard by God. I won't tell you anything new. I will
only stir your memory, so that some thought will arise and strike you; and so
you will better your life and set out along ways of prayer and of Love. And in
the end you will be a more worthy soul."
99. I well understand you
when you write: 'Every day I do my "few minutes" of prayer; if it
weren't for that!'
Daily Devotions
·
Total
Consecration
Day 32
[1] The Collegeville Bible Commentary
[2] Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896.
[3] Pope Francis, Encyclical on Love.
[4]http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/the_way-point-1.htm
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